A/N: I've finally hit 1K reads! Yay! To show my thanks...here's a new update!! Media is what I imagine our new character to look like. Note...her horns are more antler-like than the other characters' so far :) Please vote/comment/follow! Larissa x

I awoke to the sound of birdsong and the gentle lull of movement.

With my mind feeling groggy, I realised that at some point during the night I had fallen into a deep sleep. My neck now ached from the strange position I had been forced to curl up in within the crate, and I stretched it out gingerly. The swaying motion, combined with the musical sound of horse's hooves, indicated that the cart had begun moving, and I only felt a slight uneasiness at not knowing where I was going. Following last night's events, and the certainty of Fabian checking who was leaving the district, I simply felt relief that I wouldn't have to spend time figuring out how to escape the city.

Light was creeping in through the tiny cracks in between the panels of wood, and I tentatively tried to spy through it. I could see nothing aside from a single plane of the wagon.

The still air around me also signalled that the wind, who had been my saviour and ally, had gone. No matter how I tried, I could not seem to gauge the connection I had last night. It saddened me, to be so alone now— it had felt, in a strange way, like Fabian was with me. Now every trace of him was gone, and it left me feeling oddly hollow.

I hugged my knees and shooed the thought away. Depending on a man I barely knew was not what I wanted. I hadn't even paid a thought to Scarlett.

Not knowing quite how long we had been travelling, I decided to wait longer, until the birdsong was dulled by the growing voices and chimes of another city. By then, my muscles cried out to be used to leap away from the damn crate and finally, finally be free.

The cart began to clatter more loudly, and I deduced that the terrain had changed to something more like stone. It had slowed considerably; the rocking motion was now barely evident. Biting my lip, my hands crept up to the edge of the crate. It was now, or it would be never.

I threw open the lid as quietly as I could, praying that no-one was a passenger in the wagon. Thankfully, only a few crates were there to see the girl climb through them, and throw the door open.

I was hit by light, and green.

Barely able to take in my surroundings, I rolled quickly onto the moving ground below; which, I realised, was not stone, but smooth wood, fashioned from the huge tree roots that formed the road. I was gasping in awe, rather than physical strain, as I rolled, conscious of the myriad of sounds all around. I could hear what was presumably the coachman yelling, suddenly aware that he had been carrying a fugitive. I heard shrieks as I rolled into pedestrians. But most importantly, I heard the exhilarating rush of my heartbeat as I landed on my feet and was fleeing.

Crowds were all around me, and the angels parted as my feet came padding through. Snaps of conversations hit my ears, although they sounded more like syllables I moved so fast. I noticed eventually that I had been running far longer than I had needed to. There was nobody following me, and there was no-one paying me any attention.

I sighed, and was able to take stock of my surroundings.

I breathed out in awe.

Trees.

Trees, taller than anything I'd ever seen, loomed over me. Their trunks formed part of the town; paths and roads sprung from the huge, twisting roots and as my eyes raised, I could see tiny tree houses, with beautiful glass windows, dotted all around. But that wasn't to say there weren't any buildings on the ground; buildings had been carved from the trees, forming mass gateways and thoroughfares for the busy city.  They were all decorated in wonderful hues of emerald and ivy.

'The Emerald District,' I murmured.

The crowd was a lot more raucous than I expected; there were bright market stalls everywhere, selling cloths of gold and green, which seemed to be the current fashion everywhere I looked. What also struck me was the array of skin; I had never seen so many skin tones before! My own pale skin felt even duller than I previously thought. Angels, of all shapes and sizes, strode proudly, beautifully; Angels with elven faces and tinged green skin, Angels with devilish features and tall, thin bodies, and all in between.

Child Angels were also a new sight. Babies, sported in their parents' arms, looked practically human. That is, until you noticed that their hats had tiny bumps for horns, and when their parent turned them onto their tummies to burp them, little wings had begun to sprout.

Not dissimilar to mine, I thought with a smile.

I wandered through the town, blending surprisingly well. Overhead, a monorail was weaving its way along a tree branch, linking all of the houses together. It passed by with a chugging sound, and it sent my mechanic desires into overdrive.

The trees led to hundreds of bright canvas stalls in a busy marketplace, and I felt a burst of joy tinged with homesickness. The clattering sounds of footsteps and shouting, with the smell of spices and foods on the air, was all too familiar. I blinked away tears, recalling the last moments I'd had with Reia had been in the marketplace.

I forced myself not to think of Reia.

The markets were selling food, clothes, toys, crafts, enchantments. One Angel approached me, sporting the red wings of a Seer, telling me she would read my future by looking at my palm. I snatched my hand away before she could not only see what was going to become of me, but charge me for it. My future was my own to find out.

The markets were cramped and filled with music; street performers on violins, attacking the strings with their bows with vigour, dancers with legs and arms creating loops in the air. Lanterns, not yet lit, hung in bright colours zigzagging across the paths.

Along the side of the market ran a bubbling river and little boats were chugging up and down it; it seemed to be a thoroughfare that ran the entirety of the Emerald District, and beyond.

I passed over a bridge made from huge, snarled, looping roots. I was one of around fifty Angels already passing by. Below the bridge the river I'd noticed earlier led into a shallower patch, and I could see steam rising from the water. I frowned, staring in awe along the river as it meandered into a large, multi-storey building, consisting of wooden square balconies and ornately crafted roofs. The building was made out of glass, gold and dark wood jutted out into the water. A female stood by the sign outside, which I couldn't read, but she brandished towards it and invited people into the bathhouse.

I frowned. I had never seen a "bathhouse" before; did Angels go, just to wash? It was a difficult concept for me, and I quickly avoided the Angel stood greeting customers at the gold gates. She was extremely curvy, with dark skin and light freckles. Her hair was a faint yellow, and bunched into a high ponytail with golden ribbon. Her uniform was a plain robe of black, crossed over at her front. She was at the foot of the bridge, where another path to the bathhouse intersected. I quickly ducked around her, not wanting to be noticed. As I passed, she carried the aroma of flowers, and her scent lingered on long after I had passed her.

Restaurants, sizzling with food and smells, dotted the streets, everywhere. There was always one in the background, serving dishes in wooden pots with ladles. Open stages with singers and dancers attracted the passerby, whilst other buildings were theatres and orchestral halls. These were built around and into the trees, in an amazing display of architecture and expense; gold and ebony wood for the structure, and mossy green tiles. Costumes, filled with feathers and sequins and stilts, paraded round, advertising the shows. I was amazed that my eyes could take in such colour.

This had to be the entertainment part of the district that the Lumina in our memories had been so keen to visit. Angels paraded in pairs or groups, all chattering away. As they passed, I caught snippets of conversation.

'...wouldn't want to eat that!'

'...don't want to be caught...'

'...with the Equinox nearly here...'

As I continued walking, I soon passed outside the richer areas of the district, and slightly more run-down buildings stood, looking weary from the damp. A woman tried to jostle me into coming with her, and a man shoved into me, but was too slow to rob me. Brothel houses welcomed customers, day and night. I wasn't the only one, I realised; ahead of me, a young Angel girl was protesting with a man to let her go.

'No!' she cried, and he had hold of her wrists. She desperately pulled away, her white wings fluttering crossly. From behind, I couldn't see her face, only a mane of brown hair and large, twisting antler-like horns. She struggled, trying to headbutt the man, but he held her at arms' length, unable to hit him.

'You girls don't get to pick and choose,' he growled, twisting her around. I caught sight of her face as he wrapped his arms around her, stopping her from leaving. She had big, full eyes like a doe and amazingly athletic muscles. But she trembled like a sapling in a storm.

Before I could really think what I was doing, my rage had hit. But luckily my rage was the calm, icy kind; Reia would have stormed up to the man and demanded he take his hands off the girl. I, however, snuck in the shadows, watching as the thug wrestled against the girl, running his lips down her neck. She convulsed in fear, trying to cry out, but he clamped a hand over her mouth. I had to move soon, because he wasn't going to remain so tame for long. The man was young, but he had greasy, black hair, and shadows beneath his eyes. He wore leather; and everything was black, aside from his tanned, weathered skin. His jaw, large and protruding, sat slightly off centre to his nose, giving him a menacing leer. I was surprised to see scruffy, dull silver wings on his back.

Darting through the shadows, I remained unnoticed until I was standing right behind the man, the gun from my holster removed and pressed against his temple.

'You don't get a choice, either,' I said in a low voice. The man froze, his own wings trapped against my body so that he couldn't escape. He laughed and made to move, but I flicked the catch, and he went still.

The girl had noticed something was going on. She tried to run away, but the man held fast to her.

'Let her go,' I demanded, my voice steady.

The man's hand reached for my body, and for a moment, I thought he was trying to touch me, who was holding a gun to him. But the shock that jolted through my body, sending the loaded gun clattering to the floor, was not something I had anticipated.

Luckily, the girl moved fast for the gun, but the man, this time, stopped her; and I saw what he was doing.

Lightning shot from his hands.

Damn, I thought, because the girl's knees buckled where he had hit the ground before her, leaving the earth charred.

'Give in, little girls,' he said cockily. 'There's enough for two.'

He strode up to the girl on the floor, pulling at her chin as if to admire her face. His nails left red pinches where they gripped.

'Leave us alone!' the girl spat at him.

He flung her to the ground.

'You dare!' he roared, 'You dare touch a Lord, you nasty whore—'

 Whumpf.

I had no idea how to use the rapier strapped to my belt, so instead I hit the man with the heavy, wooden handle on the back of his head. He gave a groan, and then I was ready for him when he turned to attack me, his hands sparking.

Just like before, with Fabian, I felt that rush of adrenaline right before I made a steal. It was like sensing an opening, right before the attack that gave you the promise of victory. I just had to place my hands on the man's shoulders.

I saw only his dark, hurting eyes as he felt his power vanish, and his eyes widened in shock. Then, allowing a few seconds to gloat as the man drew away, spluttering, I confidently threw out my hands and charged him with his own power.

He slumped to the floor.

The girl I had saved stared at his body, her mouth open in shock.

'Is...is he dead?' she said, her voice high pitched, 'Oh my, oh feathers, you killed Lord Dale! They'll hang us!'

I looked at her incredulously, giving the lump of man on the floor a sharp jab with my foot. He gave a grunt.

'No, he's alive,' I said, sounding disappointed.

But the girl was still dancing around on her toes.

'Oh by the Emerald, Madam Morwena is going to be so angry! They're going to arrest us!'

Ignoring the girl and her squealing, I picked up my gun and put the safety back on, before holstering it once more. My rapier I wiped surreptitiously, noticing the man's greasy hair that it had hit and shivering at the thought of my fingers being near it.

I sighed because over the girl's chattering, I couldn't think.

'Look,' I said, 'if we get out of here before he wakes up, they won't arrest us.'

She began to protest.

'This man just got beat by a girl he tried to rape, and a girl he doesn't know,' I said shrilly. 'Who on Angelica would arrest us?'

The girl looked uncomfortable.

'You're not from around here, are you?' she said, at last. As I shook my head, she took my arm.

'You're right,' she conceded. 'We have to get out of here, or if we're caught, we'll be hanged for sure. If it's just that piece of—of—'

'Shit?' I suggested, and the girl flapped at me, as if bad language wasn't something she could handle.

'But he will get revenge in his own way. He's not likely to tell people about this.'

'That's good,' I said, with a shrug, 'We can deal with him again. Maybe next time he won't get back up.'

'Shhh!' the girl began to pull me away. 'You can't say things like that here. Emerald is...not what it seems.'

'Then we need to hide that body,' I said, pointedly and ridiculously logically, 'if someone finds him, they'll want answers.'

The girl looked terrified. I sighed again, and I bent down and pulled the man's feet along the floor, with her tiptoeing around me as if to hide our crime. It took only a few minutes for his body to be hidden down by an alleyway, ready for when he woke up alone.

'Okay, can we please go now?' the girl cried, and she dragged me away.

We were walking briskly now, away from the scene and back towards the main town. Only once we were in with the stream of Angels, did the girl breathe out and release her arms from where they were wrapped around her body.

'Okay,' she hissed in a low voice, 'What the Angel was that back there? You were practically cool with knocking someone out and hiding their body! Who are you?'

I didn't know how to answer, so I kept my mouth shut. The girl continued to pull me through the crowd, suddenly much more confident without the fear of a Lord's punishment around.

She led me all the way back to the sign I had seen earlier, and hadn't realised that my curiosity would be so quickly cured. Because as we strode down the path to the Bathhouse, the headstrong girl would not let go of me. She was insisting we had to consult advice from a lady that knew how to deal with everything.

It was that kind of remark, rather than me actually feeling the need to seek help, that wanted to meet this lady.

She had better live up to those expectations, because my situation was fairly unique.